Arsenal in talks to sign ‘world’s best CM prospect’

Since taking this position over six years ago, Mikel Arteta helped to completely transform Arsenal.

Part of the complete overhaul of the sleeping giant club at Premier League The winners in waiting have been his tactical approach and philosophy, but his transfers have been just as important.

The Spaniard has not always been successful in the market, but he has overseen the signing of very talented players like Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhães, David Raya and the club captain. Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian is just starting to get back to his best this season, and if reports are to be believed, Arsenal have already identified a potential signing who could be his long-term replacement.

Arsenal aim for Odegaard replacement

It’s no secret that last season was disappointing for Odegaard – to put it lightly.

Probably largely due to his ankle injury, the Norwegian looked miles from his best and struggled to influence matches as he had in previous seasons.

Fortunately, although he still faces injury problems this year, the captain is starting to look like the midfield general who won back-to-back Player of the Season awards.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this season for progressive passes, in the top 3% for shot-creating actions, in the top 4% for assists and more, all according to 90.

So, with Odegaard becoming influential again, but set to turn 28 this year, it makes sense to learn that the club is looking for a player who could one day be his long-term replacement.

At least it is according to to a recent TEAMtalk reportwho claims Arsenal are still very interested in Arda Güler.

In fact, the report states that the north Londoners have made contact with the players’ camp on several occasions in recent times, including last month, over a possible transfer at some point.

However, the bad news for the Gunners is that, as the story goes, the Turkish prodigy has made it clear that he wants to stay at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.

That said, things could change in the months and years to come, and given Guler’s immense ability and potential, Arsenal should continue to pursue him, especially as he could be the ideal long-term replacement for Odegaard.

Why Güler would be the ideal replacement for Odegaard

So the first thing to say is that, if his recent performances are anything to go by, Odegaard is close to returning to his best and doesn’t need to be replaced.

However, with him expected to be 28 at the end of the year, Arsenal would be wise to consider who their long-term replacement could be and compete with local options in Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

This is where Güler comes in, as he is still very early in his career, but there are several reasons why it already looks like he could be a dream option for the Gunners.

The first is that he already shows a similar positional preference to the Norwegian.

For example, although he can and has played a few roles, he has spent most of his time in attacking midfield or on the right, suggesting he would be able to fill that right midfield role under Arteta.

On top of that, the 20-year-old has also shown the ability to not only deal with extreme pressure, but thrive in it.

He has already played 89 matches for the Real first team, for a total of 4,305 minutes, during which he scored 15 goals and provided 19 assists.

That equates to an excellent average of goal involvement every 2.61 games, or every 126.61 minutes, which would be impressive for a seasoned veteran, let alone a young one.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also became Turkey’s next big hope and bagged six goals and six assists in just 26 senior caps.

Finally, above all, the Ankara-born gem, whose content creator Neal Gardner doubled “the best CM/AM prospect in world football right now,” also has some stellar underlying numbers to his name.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assisted goals, completed passes, progressive passes and key passes, top 3% for shot-creating actions and more, all according to 90.

FBref also ranked Odegaard as the most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the youngster in Europe’s top five leagues, which really shows his suitability as a long-term replacement.

Ultimately, while it may be incredibly difficult to get over the finish line in the short term, Arsenal should continue to pursue Güler as he could become a megastar in the future.

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